Hürriyet’s address to the Turkish president

On May 16, we reported that the death sentence given to Egypt's former elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was a decision that shocked the world, using the title “The world is shocked! Death sentence for president who received 52 percent of the vote.”

Two hours after we used this title (on our website), you gave a speech in Istanbul and uttered the exact same wording, saying “A death sentence has been given to Morsi, who was elected with the votes of 52 percent of the Egyptian people.”

The next day, you said in Kayseri Square: “In Turkey, how did the Doğan Media Group report this story? ‘Death sentence with 52 percent [of votes].’” 

Esteemed Mr. President;

You implied that when we said “death sentence with 52 percent” we were referring to you. Whether it is 52 percent or anything else, it doesn’t matter: It would be dishonorable to imply that an elected president could be executed. 

As such, your statement about us is an unfair and baseless accusation.

What evidence do you have, Mr. President? The fact that we used a title with the words that you, yourself, uttered? Does such evidence count? How on earth could such a distortion be possible?

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has also addressed us, asking “What did you mean, what do you want to say?” We explained that we did not imply anything other than what we reported. Why do you accuse us with an implication that we can only describe as a lack of honor? What is your purpose?

Mr. President,

You also accuse us of collaborating with what you call the “parallel structure” [the government’s term for followers of Fethullah Gülen].

That “parallel structure” played an important role in launching the world’s most unfair, unjust and cruel tax conspiracy against the Doğan Media Group when they were still collaborating with you. How can we have anything to do with them now?

Mr. President, 

What do you want from us? Why do you attack us with obvious injustices, obvious distortions, and obvious attempts to guess our intentions by reading selectively? Why do you target us? 

What do you want from us?

Will you send us into exile? Will you impose a “compulsory residence” sentence on us? What will you do? Do you want to make us a “Stranger in our homeland and a pariah in our country,” in the words of the master poet Necip Fazıl.

Mr. President,

You say we “live our lives in fear.”

Why should we live in fear? Why does the president of a democratic country tell his citizens that they live in fear?

Are “fear” and “democracy” two concepts that can stand side by side?

Mr. President,

If you mean that we are afraid of defending our right to freedom of the press, free speech and freedom to criticize, which are all guaranteed by the constitution, then you should know that we will defend these freedoms with no fear.